Interest in women’s sports hasn’t just grown, it has exploded. With the start of the PWHL, the recent news of the WNBA expansion into Toronto, and the 2025 launch of Project 8 on the horizon, IMI International’s research shows that two in three Canadians identify as fans of women’s sport. This is a 26% increase since 2016. Naturally, major advertisers are taking note.
All that and more was discussed at the second annual espnW Summit Canada, presented by Canadian Tire and held in Toronto on Wednesday, May 28. The summit drew marketing, advertising and media leaders, those involved in sport organizations and major brands to delve into the opportunities in women’s sports. The one-day summit was brought to Canada by Torque Strategies, which secured the rights for it in 2019.
Bart Given, CEO of Torque Strategies, says a lot has changed for women’s sports in the past year, both in Canada and globally. “It sometimes feels like an overnight sensation, but it’s been building for a while. When we as an agency first identified this, we’d worked in sport for a long time. In 2016, we did research with IMI to see whether Canadians wanted to see more women’s sport or whether they thought brands should invest more. We saw that 40% of people wanted to see more women sport on television and 67% of Canadians said they watched women’s sport on television, which is massive.”
Given adds that it’s now time for advertisers to look at women’s sports the way they’ve traditionally looked at men’s sports. “We used to look at women’s sport as a cause almost. Now we have to recalibrate focus. This is a business and a brand growth opportunity. We’re beyond cause now.”
IMI International research found that engagement with women’s sport leagues is strong and comparatively close to male sport engagement levels, and the intensity of engagement rises with increased exposure. In addition, women’s sport leagues deliver brand favourability for partners among their fan base. IMI has seen strong results from several brands in Canada and the U.S. where investment is translating to measurable impact. The average net increase in favourability among women’s sport partners was up 44%, and net increase in purchase intent was up 39%.
Sarah Stovold, president of The Answer by IMI, says, “Two in three Canadians are fans of women’s sports. That’s 17 million Canadians across the country. It’s an all encompassing as a fan base: 53% men, 46% women, 1% gender-diverse people. It’s people of colour, newcomers, young people and older people. It’s an attractive audience and we have the ability to really quantify that opportunity, something that brands have needed.”
Canadian Tire has been at the forefront of sport sponsorship in Canada, and a lead promoter of women’s sports. The company has pledged to have 50% of their sponsorship investment go to women’s initiatives by 2026.
Stovold says that was a pivotal moment for the progress of women’s sports in this country. “It put a stake in the ground that this was not only a philanthropic endeavor, but that it could also drive business, and should be seen from the perspective of its ability to influence the bottom line.”
Kim Saunders, vice president, ESG strategy and community impact, Canadian Tire Corporation, says sport is in the DNA of the entire company, and has been for over 100 years. “About a year ago, we created our women’s sport initiative. We’re actively working towards it and that’s given us license to help build and inspire the next generation of pro sports for women.”
In addition to title sponsor Canadian Tire, other brand partners of the summit include TSN, Canadian Olympic Committee, IMI International, FanDuel and Explore Edmonton, with official suppliers Gatorade, Michelob Ultra, Innovative Fitness and Aligned Transportation Services.
